Tuesday 3 April 2018 23:30, UK
Skipper Bouwe Bekking had mixed emotions after leading Team Brunel to victory in Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Brunel edged Dongfeng for victory in the 7600 nautical-mile leg from Auckland after crossing the line in Itajai, Brazil in first place on Tuesday.
The double-points leg has proved to be one of the hardest in the history of the race and will be remembered for the tragic loss of British sailor and Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag crew member John Fisher.
"It's been an unbelievable leg," Dutch veteran Bekking said.
"We are sad in our hearts about the loss of John Fisher (SHK/Scallywag) and that sits very deep with us, but from a sporting standpoint we sailed a very nice leg so we take confidence from that."
The second-place finish and 12 points won by Dongfeng may be enough to grab the overall lead from MAPFRE, who have led the race since Leg 2.
With a damaged mast track and mainsail, MAPFRE have not been able to hold on to the leaders and are now in fifth place, battling to salvage two more points by trying to overtake Turn the Tide on Plastic. Those boats are not likely to finish until the weekend.
"It's a fantastic result for us. We have managed to come back into MAPFRE after plenty of frustration on the previous legs," said Dongfeng skipper Charles Caudrelier.
"This time we've managed to keep them back and far away and if Turn the Tide on Plastic can hold on we have a chance to take the overall lead. But the first thing was to finish the leg with everyone on board and safe.
"Of course we are thinking about what happened to Scallywag and John Fisher. I'm so sad for his family and the whole Scallywag team.
"That is a fantastic team and they lost one of their own. But we are here to push the limits - that's why we sail in this area. Sadly, it happens, and it's always too much, but I think about John and all of our team thinks about him and his family."
Fisher's team, Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, have now made landfall in Chile, one week after his loss overboard in the Southern Ocean.
The team has been fighting a devastating emotional and physical battle over the last seven days to ensure the rest of the crew and their Volvo Ocean 65 arrived on shore safely.
For the short term, the team says it will remain in Chile as they debrief and decide on future plans. The team will release more information as it becomes available.
Separately, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Chile has confirmed the Search and Rescue operation has been "deactivated".
